The Unique Thrift Store at 30604 Lake Shore Boulevard in Willowick, Ohio, is about twenty minutes from Cleveland, in a little strip called North Shore Mall. It carries a wide range of secondhand items: clothing to crockpots, sofas to sunglasses.
Three colors half-price, one color full price
Unique Thrift Stores have a unique policy. Every week, a different color tag is used, and every week all the older color tags are half price. On Mondays, everything is half price, regardless of tag color.
The result, of course, is that most of what you want is tagged with this week’s color, everything else having sold out on Monday. But there’s always some stuff that no one else has recognized the value of – or that you’re willing to pay full price for.
The store is profit-making, but buys much of its merchandise from charities such as the Purple Heart Vets.
The Willowick Unique is large and well-arranged, considering the variety of merchandise they have to tag, classify, and get out on the floor. Prices vary wildly, as at most thrift stores.
As at all thrifts, you have to come in regularly to get an idea of the flow of items. You are very unlikely to find a valuable antique, but you might find something to wear or to use in your home or to sell on eBay.
Here are some of the things they carry.
Cookware. Okay, you probably won’t find All-Clad, but if you want a lid for your Corning or Revere Ware, this is the place to come. You’ll want to check the handles on saucepans and frying pans. Non-stick pans have probably lost their non-stickiness.
Don’t be put off by stains. Aluminum shines up like new with steel wool soap pads, and there aren’t very many stains that won’t come off Corning Ware. If you get a $25.00 pan for a $2.50 and twenty minutes of elbow grease, you’re working for about $80 an hour!
Clothing. Depends. Small sizes do the best. There is a section for larger sizes, but large-sized clothes tend to show more wear. You aren’t going to find the current fad styles, probably, but on the other hand, you’ll be able to see how much that blouse really wrinkles. If you shop for clothing, it’s probably best to check regularly and see what new stuff has come in. Shoes are mostly pretty beat-up. There is no fitting room; you have to do the best you can trying on over your regular clothes.
Toys and Games. Your child doesn’t care where it came from. Really. And you don’t want your child to turn into a materialist, do you? Jigsaw puzzles are pretty cheap; most of them have all their pieces, but, of course, there’s no guarantee.
Occasional cushions. There are more pillows than you can shake a stick at, and they’ve been sterilized. Check the prices on pillow forms at the craft and fabric shops, and don’t pay more than that for a complete pillow. If the form is in good condition, you can make or buy a cover for it.
Yarn and other craft materials. Okay, especially if you’re not fussy about dye lots.
Bedding. Tons of comforters and top sheets. Bottom sheets, not so much; they tend to be badly worn or not tall enough. If you need fabric for a project, a sheet may be just right. (If you need quilted fabric, a quilt may be just right!)
Table linens. Not a huge selection, and some are plastic. Know the size of your tables, though, just in case.
Furniture. Nothing great, but if you need a chair to sit on, or a headboard, or a chest of drawers to hold your clothing off the floor, you can probably find something.
China and glass. I always look. The great thing about buying here is that you don’t get mad when you or the children break it. The pricers tend to get a little overexcited about matching sets, but pretty plates to hang on the wall are nice.
Miscellaneous. My favorite. Odd gizmos “as seen on TV.” Tote bags, briefcases, camera bags, sales demo kits, loose leaf notebooks, sunglasses, wooden shelves, framed pictures, and, “Whatever is this thing?” You know what you need!
The people who work there are nice, too. Oh, and it’s right near Aldi, so you can do your thrift shopping before your grocery shopping. What’s not to like?
